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Saturday, 19 September 2009

Glam superstars kiss return with a 'Sonic Boom!' It's been more than a decade since KISS' last studio album. Eleven years is a decent chunk of time on most scales - but for KISS fans this has seemed an eternity.

Kiss promised that Sonic Boom would be a return to the classic Kiss sound of the 70's and to be fair the guys have managed to pull it off.

So are any of the songs on 'Sonic Boom' destined to become Kiss classics? Well to be honest I really don't know. 'Sonic Boom' is definitely the strongest Kiss album in years, there's no ballads and the vibes in the right place. The Albums sound fits well in the feel of their 70's and early 80's albums but classics, I'm not sure.

All the tracks are great songs with Gene and Paul alternating vocals with each song. Musically the standards reach the high standards, but sometimes lyrically I get the feeling that its a case of Kiss by numbers.

If your a fan of kiss, even in passing you'll enjoy this album, but I'm not sure you're gonna love it.

The great news is that's its a body of new material, and hopefully Sonic Boom gets the ball rolling and the juices flowing,

Ive enjoyed Sonic Boom but I'm looking forward to the next album already!

VANITY INK is a Finish band that was formed in the end of 2002. The band have already released two EPs (‘...roadkills!’ in 2004 and ‘Vanity is a Full-time Job’ in 2005) and one full-length album ‘On Your Skin’ 2007.

VANITY INK has signed up with the Swedish record label Swedmetal records who are now releasing their album ‘More Senseless Random Behaviour’.‘Smell The Party’ is the first single as well as video is an energetic introduction to the record as well to the band for those who have not heard of them before. What follows is more of the same, sure the tempo drops in places but never the quality of the songs!

The songs are great, both musically and lyrically, and I find myself liking them and Annabella’s voice more and more with each spin of the disc.

Danish rock/punksters return with their new album, Screw The Consequences, which has been produced bu the fantastically over talented Chris Laney.

What we get is 14 anthems about love, hate,drinking, (self)destruction, sex,struggle, honesty, lies, & more drinking, is a valid testament of whatlife is like as a Star*rat.. Loud ,Obnoxious,narcissistic, depraved,and most of all fun!

Musically the style is huge rock songs with elements of punk, sleaze, and metal, and with new singer Magnus (AKA Mr. Whattafuck) on board, Kass, Post, and Braun finally found the missing link to go from damn good to awesome!I imagine fans of Velvet Revolver, Buckcherry, Sixx A.M, Hardcore Superstar & Papa Roach

Bitch queens consist of four guys with a flair for rough and energy-loaded rock, enough Mascara and attitude to hold up with any old name of the L.A scene. What you get is a high octane energy blast of Glam / Sleaze rock with a modern alternative / punk edge.

Basically some great rock n roll!

There is a certain familiarity about their sound, but that doesn't matter, the songs are great played well with great energy and enthusiasm!

Musically kind of like Motörhead meets Backyard Babies and the Stooges meet the Datsuns, and interesting mix but it works well!

I have been a huge fan of The Wildhearts and Ginger's solo releases for as long as I can remember, the first time that I remember seeing the guys live was back on the Mondo A kimbo tour in the old JB's, and they were amazing, totally blowing me away! I was hooked then and have been ever since. The years that followed have been some what that of a roller coaster ride for the band and fans alike with the band being on the verge of world domination on many occasions only to implode and self destruct. One thing that has always remained constant though is the high quality of the music, the passion of the fans has never changed with great albums followed by amazing live shows year after year.This year the band have returned with their new album Chutzpah! an album that could arguably be their strongest ever release (reviewed previously for Glitzine.net), and I was given the opportunity of a brief Q & A session with Wildhearts main man Ginger. What follows is the resulting interview.

Barry - Congratulations on such an Amazing album. Chutzpah! is one of the strongest releases that the Wildhearts have produced in years, Why do you think that is?

Ginger - I guess everyone has forgiven us for past sins and is ready to accept us as a major force within the rock arena. Either that or we just made the songs shorter.

Barry - Producer Jacob Hansen really seems to have bought the best out of everyone on this album, how did you come to work with him?

Ginger - We wanted a European producer who could get huge, euro-metal sounds, the plan being to give him some pop and see if we could make a hardcore version of Abba. He's a big ELO fan as I also am, I think that was the deal clincher right there.

Barry - Chutzpah! is released via Backstage Alliance and not via your own Round Records, what are the reasons behind this and how did the new union come about?

Ginger - The band collectively decided to step up to a bigger label. I'm hoping that things will be taken to the next level with Backstage Alliance.

Barry - Chutzpah! has been the most collaborative Wildhearts release ever, yet it is the one album that has the closest feel to a Ginger Solo release, how do you think this came about?

Ginger - I wrote most of the melodies. And I was in New York working on a solo album at the time. Somehow the two worlds merged a little.

Barry - The current line of Yourself, CJ, Rich and Scott Sorry appears to be the strongest line up of The Wildhearts in years. So far you've managed to release 3 great albums together (2007's brilliant The Wildhearts, 2008's Stop Us If... and this years Chutzpah!), do you think that you've finally found that definitive line up?

Ginger - I hope so. I really wouldn't want to carry on doing The Wildhearts without any of these guys.

Barry - During the blogs you guys posted on line whilst you were in the studio recording Chutzpah! you listed a whole bunch of song titles, some of which like, Under The Waves, Some Days Just Suck, Vernix and Shine, haven't seen any form of release so far. Are there any plan's to release these songs, say as B'sides to a single or such?

Ginger- I hope so, but the decision of what we do with these songs is now down to Backstage Alliance. All I can say is that I hope they give these songs away for free, as b-sides or free downloads, to the fans.

Barry - You have a UK tour coming up, anywhere in particular that you are looking forward to playing?

Ginger - I'm looking forward to playing everywhere. I can't wait to play the new album in its entirety, all over the Country.

Barry - Have you guys managed to decide upon a set list yet? I know at one point you were asking the fans if they wanted to hear Chutzpah! in its entirety with a few classics mixed in, but would you consider playing Chutzpah as in the version released in Japan?

Ginger - The set appears to be one half the new album and a second half of old hits. This seems to be what the fans demand.

Barry - Already this year you been out on the road playing a few selected solo shows, not long after which I remember reading somewhere that you were putting together a new band. Would this be a new project altogether or just a new band to handle the solo tours and releases?

Ginger - I'm starting a new project with the guys I play with in LA. We don't have a name yet but we just recorded our first song with Mike Clink (Guns n Roses) and it sounds amazing. Can't wait to do more with that outfit. I'd like to record a solo album that I've written too, but finding a budget for that is proving quite difficult.

Barry - Over the years you have been involved in some fantastic side projects from Clam Abuse, SilverGinger 5 to SS666, have you ever thought about revisiting any of these projects.

Ginger - I occasionally consider doing another album with all of the above, but then something new comes in that distracts me. New versus old? The new will always win!

Barry - You mentioned in a recent interview that you have written over 50 songs for the next solo album, any ideas when you may start working on recording it and when it may see a release?

Ginger - Like I mentioned we can't find any labels that will pay for the recording of a new solo album. I hope this changes as I've got a ton of fantastic songs to record and some amazing players to do it with.

Barry - Where do you see the future heading for both your solo and future Wildhearts releases?

Ginger - I don't spend much time looking to the future, I prefer to stay in the moment. I hope I'm busy in the future, and that's about it.

Barry - Your move to New York has clearly had a huge impact on your life, helping you to clean up and I guess sort your thoughts, I remember back in 94 you tried relocating The Wildhearts to New York, do you think had that move have worked out that it would have had the same effect.

Ginger - No, I don't think so. I used to be very blinkered and closed off, and New York doesn't open itself to people like that. Now I've developed the capacity to love and be loved I find that USA responds to that in a very positive way. Basically I get New York now, whereas before it was a little confusing.

Barry - You have always been a very prolific songwriter, have you ever considered writing for other artists?

Ginger - Yes, I've been writing with a few artists recently and I really enjoy the process and hope to continue writing with people and learning from them. Writing with someone is a very satisfying process that is vastly different from writing alone.

Barry - You are close friends with Jackdaw4's Willie Dowling, have you guys ever considered working on a studio project together?

Ginger - We've talked about it but, to be honest, I think I would like to do it more than Willie would. Still, I live in hope.

Barry - Just a quick thought, where did the idea of using Chutzpah! as an album title come from?

Ginger - It's a Hebrew word meaning 'to have balls' that I always loved. When I realised that no-one had used it for an album title yet I decided to utilise it.

Barry - Sometimes you have a tendency of writing some very personal lyrics, are there any lyrics in any songs that you regret?

Ginger - Never, regret would be an insult to the situations that resulted in me talking to you.

Barry - A few years back there was rumours that you may be considering writing an autobiography, telling your story and the story of The Wildhearts. Will any such book ever see the light of day?

Ginger - I'm writing a book that touches on some stories and anecdotes but is in no way an autobiography. I'd like to write more than one book.

Barry - You must have a wealth of un-used/ unreleased songs from over the years, do you think that any of these older unreleased songs could ever see a release, even if only as downloads that fans could buy?

Ginger - I find that I'm always too busy working on new material and new projects that I have no time to revisit the past. It's gone and it isn't coming back, and the future is none of my business, so the present is where I like to stay firmly planted.

Barry - Finally is there anything that you would like to say to Glitzine.net readers, a final thought if you will?

Ginger - Do not judge, be honest, stand by your friends, spread love, be positive and listen to Cardiacs.

Id like to thank Ginger for agreeing to answer my humble question on behalf of Glitzine, and highly recommend that Glitzine readers check out the new Wildhearts album, Chutzpah!as soon as they can! (you wont be disappointed!)

You can catch the The Wildhearts live on tour at one of the following dates -

Monday, 14 September 2009

North East Punk rockers Forgotten Roots unleash their new mini album upon us here with 'Crosses and Circles', a great slab of commercial Pop/Punk/Rock ala Green Day etc.The songs on offer here are well written and full of energy, a great blast!Forgotten roots managed to come across as compact, melodic and yet aggressive, which isn't the easiest of things to do, but they manage it well!'403/405' and 'Cut It Out' are the two stand out tracks here, although i have to admit that I loved the Iron Maidenish intro on 'Memories' too!This Ep is great introduction to the band from lil old Blyth, I just hope that they can maintain the quality and intensity of the songs over a full album release, something I'm looking forward to finding out!Check em out!

Naked is a Swedish melodic Hard rock /AOR band formed by Mats Stat tin, playing the kind of rock that is very reminiscent of the kind of stuff coming out in the early 90's, like a softer Helloween (Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon era). The songs are well written, and its refreshing to here this kind of music again especially as its written and performed so well!I was surprised how good they sounded. Not sensational but still very good with a singer Petri Vehviläinen who sounds some what like Bjorn Lodin(Baltimore)!If nothing more Naked offer a great walk down memory lane, but lets not sell this band short, the songs are generally very good, the production is ok, a little thin in place's maybe, with a little too much emphasis on the keyboards, this album really needs the drums to have a heavier/more powerful sound which would then raise the songs to the next level.A good solid album, not going to set the world on fire, but enjoyable all the same.

Almost fifteen years on from their last release, cult Italian band Elektradrive return with their new album 'Living 4'. This new album see a slight change in musical direction for the band, with them moving away slightly from the AOR/Melodic rock style of their previous efforts to a more Prog Rock sound, which they pull off really well.'Living 4' is a lesson to other bands on just how this stuff should be done, an album full of textures both musically and lyrically. 'Living 4' is a concept album, which tries to tackle many environmental issues such as water scarcity etc. Musically this album really is a great record, songs like 'In A Superficial Way', Water Diviner' and the great commercial single 'You Are Always On My Mind'.As i said musically, 'Living 4' brings more muscle to the table than Elektradrives previous albums, giving us a great contemporary Prog Rock album.

Saturday, 12 September 2009

Swedish reprobates Veins Of Jenna return with a stunning new album, 'The Art Of Telling Lies', and what an album!From the opener of ' Everybody Loves You When Your Dead' to closer 'The Art Of Telling Lies' the energy and pure quality of the songs doesn't drop!Anyone who has heard Veins previous material will know what your getting here and will not be disappointed, and for those who haven't, well shame on you!!!The albums filled with soon to be Veins' classics like the afore mentioned Everybody Loves You When You're Dead, Mid Pollution, I Belong To Yesterday,Get It On, Paper Heart, Enemey In Me, I Dont Care and the awesome title track, The Art of Telling Lies!This is one hell of an album from one of Swedens best Sleaze bands! Do yourself a favour and check it out!

The original Spaceman returns with an awesome new album,'Anomaly', which is up there with his very first solo album from ’78!'Anomaly' has the classic Ace sound, with the former KISS guitarist deliberately having tried to get close to his very first solo outing which he pulls off with ease here, The album kicks off quite heavy with Foxy & Free, which is one of the two oldest songs on the album. (he basically used material he worked on over the last few years (only two songs were written before the time Ace joined KISS again to do a reunion tour in ’96), It’s a bit of a Jimi Hendrix tribute with references to the Hendrix classics Foxy Lady and Voodoo Chile. This is one of my favourites on the album.'Outer Space' another rather heavy tune (which was written by Ace plus Jesse Mendez and David Askew) is a close second!Other stand out tracks include ' Pain In The Neck ', The Sweet’s classic 'Fox On The Run', 'Too Many Faces', which has some great lyrics and 'Space Bear'.To be honest 'Anomaly' is a great album throughout, with its only weakness really being the vocals, but Ace has often commented that he is no virtuoso singer!Lets just hope that the new Kiss album is as solid when it comes out later this year!

Leicesters Black Page Turns are back with new two track single Simplest of Tools, which is backed by “Bang! Bang! Assassin” as its B-Side.Having already played 200+ UK gigs under his previous band The Authentics,lead singer-songwriter Mike A launches his new band, which almost a garage punk nu metal band. Rather listenable, Simplest of Tools is cool enough and filled with energy, but its Bang Bang Assassin that steals the limelight here, with its bruisingly vicious riffs and great melodies throughout!

This is radio friendly metal aimed at the Kerrang audience but that should not put you off, Gunner Sgt have all the markings of a post grunge/Nu-Metal sound, yet they manage to retain an originality that is both infectious and endearing.Of The Three tracks on offer here, (Why Are We Turning Back, Disorder and Eye) it is 'Disorder' that really stands out with its perfect blend of melody and metal.This is great Ep from a very promising band, with the right breaks they should go far!Fans Of Nirvana, Papa Roach, Hollow Limit, and the Deftones will find something to enjoy here!

Bristol based bruisers return with the latest single to be taken from their excellent Collider album, colloblast which is backed up with the excellent Kerbdog cover 'Severed'.A great slab of contemporary metal here, with Left Side Brain coming across as the perfect mix of Helmet and Therepy?, a great single. B-side, 'Severed' is given the LSB treatment, but still manages to show one of the bands obvious influences. If You like your music loud and proud, with a great metal edge then this could be a good introduction to a great band!

Sunday, 6 September 2009

Eureka Machines return with a great double A side promo single, available to download for free from the website at http://eurekamachines.com/ . Track one is 'Being Good Is Okay, But Being Better Is Better', which is taken fro the bands debut album Do Or Die which was released last year and was quite possibly the debut release of the year! Being Good...is the perfect blend of pop, punk rock, kind of like The Wildhearts meets Honeycrack, which is hardly suprising when you consider Eureka Machines main man has worked with both Ginger and Willie Dowling in the psat.The Other song is a new track, 'Living In Squalor'., which is yet another slice of pop/rock perfection!You really should check these songs out, hey whats it gonna cost ya, they're giving you the two songs for nothing, absolutly free!

This is the kind of record that sinks in on virtually the first listen and will have you joining in on the choruses second time around.Opening with 'Pedel To The Metal' this Swedish Glam, Metal, Rock band really set up their stall. most of the songs do have an 80's metal feel to them, yet they still manage to sound contempary, love it.Some great sleazy lyrics with some very well written songs, loving this band, definetly one to keeps your eyes oncheck out their myspace page at www.myspace.com/badmouthswe and then check out the a debut album!

Penny Lane has released a brand new limited edition CD entitled 'Midnight Tales From The Funhouse: Part 1' starring Steve Summers of Pretty Boy Floyd and Alice Cooper's Keri Kelli. Kelli produced the disc in addition to helping with guitar duties. Midnight Tales .... really is aband effort too with everyone oone of the 12 songs here being written by various members of the group, so its not just a case of Summers and Kelli guesting they really a part of everything involved here. One possible drawback, is that most of the songs here have a school theme, ala classic Pretty Boy Flyod, yet these guys are well beyond their school days lol.What we do have here though, is a classic glam album, with a great glam feel. This album stands up along with almost any glam release from the 80's. California Man," "Waiting for You" and "Blood from A Stone" are exceptionally strong tracks. I especially like "Blood from A Stone" - the chorus and main riff are just simply brilliant. If you like Pretty Boy Floyd, you'll like the new Penny Lane effort. There's a lot of cross-over similarities here. Yes, part of that is because of Steve Summers, but also many of the song lyrics and themes are similar. Basically, this is just a fun Glam record.Check out the band via their myspace page here at www.myspace.com/pennylaneofficial and then check out the album!

Punk, Rock, glam, Garage band The Kingcrows return with their new 7 track Ep, A Murder Most Foul and instantly you can see the improvement from the last release, and an bonus is that the CD just grows with listen-ability with each new spin!'Stiletto Groove' is cleverly written withan almost chaotic sound with so much going on that it almost threatens to fall apart, but the band pull it off and the song is just great! 'Sex, Oui' is quite a funky song, showing that band aren't one trick pony's by any means. To be honest I could list all seven tracks, as they all bring something to the plate, which is another plus.If Garage rock with a punk edge (ala The Yo yo's) is your thing then you should love these guys

'High quality trash. Sleaze-Glam with Sleazy Chords, Sleazy Lyrics and even some Sleazy Tuning on their Sleazy Guitars. The Drums are...Sleazy' is what CD Baby says of the new release from The Barbarellatones.Album opener 'Get Your Freak On' comes across as a moody beach Boys track, and 'Gothic City' just continues the moody feel. Its a beautiful soundscape, with some great chilled out sounds yet somehow maintains that moody meanacing feeling.The Barbarellatones list themselves as a Glam/Garage/Gothic band and thats a great honest description, imagine a cross between say Poison, Motley Crue and Type O Negative! They sound great!The only fault I can think of on this album is that they never really rock up the tempo, the songs are all excellent, performed/delivered to perfection, but not one of them gets above mid tempo, instead opting to maintain a dark mood instead, but always maintaining that sleazy edge.I was suprised at just how much I enjoyed this album!stand out tracks included, ' Gothic City', 'Grab Your Ankles' (just check out the lyrics lol), 'The Raven' which is just a beautiful song, and 'Unfaithful Lover'.This album is still a tour d force even if it could do with a fast song or two!

German Punk Pop reprobates return with their third album, Dead Serious.Dead Serious gives us a highly polished sound kind of like Green day and the like, but Itchy Poopzkid have developed the great ability of writting a great pop song with some rather witty lyrics!. All the songs have a great energy bout them, even when Itchy slow things down a little like on 'Learn To Drown' , 'The Lottery' and 'As Long As I Have Got Chords'.To be honest every track here is a little gem in its own right. These guys must be great live as their energy and enthusiasm really shine thru. My favorite track has got to be 'Another Song The DJ's Hate' although 'Last Goodbye' comes a close second. A really strong album well worth checking out!

Tuesday, 1 September 2009

Ever since Megadeth's return after Dave's nerve injury fans have been waiting for a true return to form, well this is probably about as close as they're ever gonna get, Endgame really does come across an inter breeding of Rust In Peace and Countdown To Extinction.

"This Day We Fight!"-Old-school Megadeth through and through. Very thrashy and extremely fast. You can feel some of Dave's old aggression in this song, a real return to form!44 Minutes" is a simple but catchy main riff with some great vocals on Dave's part. The song hints at its thrash roots but the chorus is purely melodic rock at its best. There's some great soloing too! This is one of my early fav on the album!

Other highlights include the epic "The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With A Kiss", the fast, brutal, and thrashy "Headcrusher" and the excellent "How The Story Ends".

Endgame really is a return to form for Dave and the boys, ladies and gentlemen, Megadeth have finally returned!

Its no secret to anyone whom has ever met that I am a huge Wildhearts fan! I have been ever since 'Don't Be Happy....Just Worry' all the way through the various splits and reunions right up til today, and I always will be!I along with many other Wildhearts fans eagerly read the studio update blogs which the band posted whilst they were recording this album and felt the excitement grow like never before. Although when I read that they were down tuning the guitars I did start to feel a little anxious, but then again this band have never really conformed to any particular rules, and they can rightfully claim that no two albums really sound the same. (unlike a million other bands out there!)So at one minute past midnight on Monday morning I was there at amazon (among others after having a few problems!) impatiently downloading my purchase of Chutzpah!, the latest instalment of Wildheart history.Now first of all, the present line up of Ginger, CJ, Scott Sorry and Rich, seems to be the most stable line up the band has had in years. Chutzpah! is this line ups third studio release, the others being 2007 rifftastic 'The Wildhearts' and last years awesome covers album, 'Stop Is If You've Heard This Before vol 1'.So how does Chutzpah compare?Well let me just say, the boys are on form!Yes they've tuned down the guitars, but to quote Ginger, "finally the guitars are in tune with the bass", and the songs still maintain that classic Wildhearts feel.Album opener, 'The Jackson Whites' is a real; tour d' force, pounding along with a great riff, then mellowing for the verse, then a typical Ginger big chorus, and boy can Ginger write those!Next up is 'Platstic Jebus', which has a deceitful opening, and slows the pace a little, but is still one hell of a track.Following that is albums lead single, the Scott penned 'The Only One', which is a great modern day rock ballad I guess, with Scott turning in a great lead vocal performance.Next up is 'John of Violence', which is a typical Ginger/Wildhearts melodic rocker. To be honest this track could easily have been on Wildhearts album, or even any of Ginger's solo albums.The we get 'You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Not Insane', which is another stroke of Ginger genius.Next up we have the mighty 'Tim Smith', which has a riff that wouldnt be out of place on any of Metalica's better releases. This track would have fitted really well on 2007's The Wildhearts album, and I have to say its bloody Great!The we get 'Low Energy Vortex', with its gentle pianno opening. This is a really great song, some nice riffs and an amazing Slash esque solo.The track with the hard task of following that is ' You Took The Sunshine From New York', which is a beutifuly personal Ginger track that would have fitted onto any of Gingers solo albums. It breaks the pace alittle, giving you the chance to catch your breath, plus its pretty commercial and could possibly make a good single.Next up we have another melodic rocker (wildhearts style) in 'Mazel Tov Cocktail'. Another great track.And then finally we have the albums closing and title track, 'Chutzpah!', which is great blast of pure Wildhearts energy. A great trackChutzpah is a really good album and deserves to bring the band (and Ginger in particular) the commercial success that they really deserve, lets face it, love or hate him, Ginger has probably the best and most prolific song writer in rock for the last 20 years or so!One strange thing about Chutzpah is that although its the most collaborative Wildhearts album to date, its the one with the closest feel to a Ginger solo album!

The problem you get with The Wildhearts is that they are so volatile and could implode (as they have done so many times before!) at any time, but if god forbid that should happen, then they have given us probably their strongest album to date, and what an epitataph it would be!

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